Tradition
by notashamedtobe
Summary: Some traditions change with time, only to get better. This is an entry from the Tricky Raven's winter contest. It also checks off my desire to write Bella with all the wolves, minus Colin and Brady. I might add to it later on, but it's done as of right now.


**Pairing: Seth/Bella**

**Rating: M **

**Summary: Some traditions change with time, only to get better.**

**Beta: Krystal214**

**Genre: Romance**

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Disclaimer #2: I ignore canon. I ignore timelines. I basically mold what SM wrote into my own little happy world. Ta da.**

_~ ~ ~ Four Christmases Ago ~ ~ ~_

He sat by himself, sort of away from the rest of us but still close enough not to garner too much scrutiny. His eyes reminded me of how I must have looked when Edward and his family left. I sigh softly with that thought, but shake it off quickly. I simply had been a girl dumped - rather rudely might I add - by her dead boyfriend.

Seth, on the other hand, is suffering through his first Christmas without his father. I take a sip of my soda and fight back the urge to get up and hug the poor boy. Boy? Hmph. He's 14 but looks to be my age if not older. He's not as tall or as muscled as my Jake, but he's certainly no boy either. It breaks my heart a bit.

While I spent a few months wallowing in self pity and mourned someone so not worth it, I failed to realize how much these young men of La Push (and Leah) had given up. I discreetly survey the room. I watch as Jared and Paul joke around with Billy. I watch as Jake, Embry and Quil look like they're up to no good. I'm proven right as I watch Embry sneak a small flask out of his back pocket. I bite back my laugh when Sam walks by and plucks it out of his hand causing them all to moan.

I watch as Sam makes his way past Leah. She dares not look at him, and is instead focused on something on the wall behind me. His walk slows down as he moves past her. I watch in fascination as they both take deep breaths as if smelling each other. Their postures relax completely and small smiles appear on both their faces.

I can't help but look at Emily whose gaze is transfixed on the two of them. There's another clusterfuck. Leah not only phased to be the only female wolf, but is now in Sam's mind while he is imprinted on her cousin. I roll my eyes and can't help but feel a little animosity toward the muffin maker.

I mean, really, I don't care how sugary-sweet she comes off, there's just something wrong with you as a person if you willingly take away the man your cousin was going to marry so he can be your own. According to Jake, the imprinted could have the wolf be whatever she needs. A lover. A brother. A best friend. There's nothing written anywhere in the old journals that states you have to become a man stealing hussy. There's not. I asked Billy just to be sure.

I turn my gaze back to the youngest Clearwater and find that he's gotten up to get something to eat. He seems so lonely, so not here. Even as his mother lovingly pats his cheeks as he passes by, there's barely any emotion on his face. I get up and excuse myself from my father. I make my way into the kitchen and see that Seth's gone out to the back porch. I walk outside, mindful that it's freezing and I don't have anything but a thin sweater on top of my Christmas t-shirt.

He's leaning on the railing. "Hey Bella."

He's not even looking at me, but Seth knowing I was there wasn't surprising. Jake says that us regular humans have distinctive smells that make it easy for them to identify us, so I throw out a casual, "Hi Seth."

He turns to look at me and his eyes widen. "Holy crap! It's freezing and you don't have a freaking jacket on. Come on! Come on! My mom will kill me. Hell, Charlie might beat her to it."

He drags me back inside and I'm grateful for the heat the small kitchen offers. My teeth chatter as Seth pours me some coffee. He shoves the mug into my hands, almost sloshing the hot liquid onto my hands with his urgency. I greedily wrap my fingers around the mug and I'm about to thank him when I hear, "Oh shit! You two are under the mistletoe. Damn, Jake's gonna be pissed."

I turn to see Quil in the doorway of the kitchen staring above our heads. I can't help but look up at the same time Seth does. Sure as it rains in Forks, there's mistletoe above us. What the hell? And why in such a random spot in the kitchen?

I guess I ask that out loud because Seth answers me in a heartbreaking tone of voice. "My da.. my dad used to do it to annoy my mom. He would put it up in stupid places just to make her laugh. It really didn't annoy her though."

I don't know what makes me do it. Maybe it's the season. Maybe it's because for someone so young, he's had a load of poop piled onto his shoulders. Maybe it's because he misses his dad so much. Whatever the reason, I lean forward on my tippy toes and press my lips to his cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Seth."

_~ ~ ~ Three Christmases Ago ~ ~ ~_

So I'm sitting on my couch, impatiently awaiting the arrival of more guests – well, one specifically. The smile on my face this Christmas is sincere, and according to Leah I've managed to find my way back into my "I shit unicorns and pee rainbows" mindset. I smirk at her analogy and find that with time the loss of our dad isn't as bad. Yeah, it still hurts and sometimes some random ass thing will remind me of him and it's like it's happened all over again, but I don't feel like I did last Christmas when I really thought my life was over.

I bounce up and open the door when I hear Charlie's cruiser roll up. Yeah, the guys make fun of my little crush on Bella, but last year's kiss on the cheek gave me a boner that lasted pretty much all night. Now the pack calls me Lil' Jake whenever I think about her.

Thankfully nothing ever came out of Jake's crush on her. For a while I got kind of nervous that they might turn into this epic love story a la _Titanic_, but that was an epic fail according to Jake. He told me they kissed in her kitchen and when they broke apart they both busted out laughing. Jake compared it to what it must be like kissing your sister or something. No chemistry whatsoever and he didn't have any problem falling back into best friend mode - even when that small Cullen leech came back to whisk Bella to Italy.

Bella had told her that even though she might not love Jake like that she was more than open to the possibility and Edward should have thought his actions through. She was done with his martyr act. The little sprite was so pissed she actually tried to attack Bella. Luckily Jake managed to save Bella and kill the little bloodsucker even if now she does have a four-inch long scar on her right forearm from that thing trying to yank her into its car.

The other Cullens, Edward included (guess who failed at vamp suicide), arrived seeking vengeance. When they heard what happened and Edward read Jake's mind about what Alice had attempted to do, they knew we were within our rights to protect Bella. That's the day Jake became Alpha. That's also the day Jake abolished the treaty and said whether they suck on Bambi or a cheerleader they were no longer allowed on our lands- Forks included. They haven't been seen since.

So getting back to the here and now, I can't help but smile when I see Bella get out of her dad's cop car. She bounds up the steps in her huge puffy white jacket and throws her arms around me in a tight hug. I laugh and twirl her around.

I put her down and tease, "Gosh, Bells. Is that really you under all that crap?"

She shoves me – well, tries to. She starts unbundling herself. "Shush. Not all of us can run at such a high temp and be forever warm no matter how cold it is outside."

I laugh as I shrug my shoulders. "Hey, that's not my fault."

She scrunches her nose at me as she makes her way to the hall closet to hang up her coat. She opens the door and sort of steps inside to grab a hanger when she notices what's hanging above her head.

Hanging in the closet is mistletoe. She turns around and sort of smacks into me. I put my hands on her waist to settle her. My heart is pounding in my chest. I guess I gotta be a man about this and lean down to press a kiss to her forehead. I move back and she's blushing something fierce.

Leah comes barreling down the hallway, a mischievous glint in her eye. She leans against the wall, arms crossed in front of her chest. "Mistletoe got you again, Swan?"

Bella smiles brightly. "I guess so, Clearwater."

They just stare at one another and burst into a round of giggles. There's some talk about Leah trying to catch Sam with it and some other stuff I don't get, but all that matters is I got to kiss Bella this Christmas.

_~ ~ ~ Two Christmases Ago ~ ~ ~_

I bite my lip as I drive us over to the Clearwaters for the annual Christmas Eve party. I glance at my dad, who is already a bit tipsy since he started hitting the eggnog gifted to him by one of his deputies earlier this afternoon. He's singing along to some ridiculous Christmas song on the radio, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

Ah, my mind is such a dangerous place to be nowadays. Why? Because the more I try to fight it, the more thoughts of a certain Quileute god play about. The way his dark locks tend to fall over his brow, making him run his hand through them. The way he looks dripping wet after cliff-diving, each bead of water cascading down his chest, making me want to follow every trail with my tongue. The way his laugh makes me smile, just because it's so bright that I have no choice. The way his cut-off shorts or sweats hang dangerously low on his hips, tantalizing me with that sexy V.

Then I remember he's all of 16 and I'm freaking 20 years old. I couldn't be arrested for such thoughts, right? I mean, he doesn't look 16. Hell, he looks older than me. I can remember coming home for Thanksgiving break and going to some club in Port Angeles with the pack and no one batted an eyelash when he ordered that first round of drinks. Or the ones that followed. Nope. That doesn't matter, I'm still a perv.

I trudge along in my truck, enjoying the bumps and crappy heat it's giving off. I only get to drive it when I'm home because my dad and I both knew it wouldn't make the almost four hour drive to the University of Washington. So with my savings along with my graduation gifts from Dad, Mom and Phil, I got myself a cute little ole Toyota Yaris. Of course, Seth immediately cracked up because none of the wolves could fit inside minus Leah and that's if she works herself into some odd yoga pretzel pose.

I smile as I think of Leah. I'm pretty sure I convinced her to transfer from Peninsula to UDub. It's crazy how much she used to hate me to having become one of my closest friends, which of course makes sexually fantasizing about her brother (much younger brother) totally inappropriate. I think it was our commiserating over broken hearts by supernatural beings that solidified our friendship.

Even when Sam finally broke the imprint with Emily and came crawling back to her on his hands and knees, she didn't take him back. She made him work for another chance. It took her almost seven months to finally go on a date with him, and close to another four months 'til they kissed. I think at that point I was more sexually frustrated than the two of them combined. Now they're inseparable and more in love than before.

Emily pretty much had a cow and threatened to tell everyone about the pack, but quickly changed her tune when Sue said she would allow the pack to rip her to little bits and eat her if she did. Plus, really, who would believe her? It could all be chocked down to some leftover stress from her "bear attack". Anyway, she's since gone back to the Makah reservation.

"Whatcha ya smiling about, Bells?"

I look at my dad and shrug. I tell him, "Just thinking about Leah and Sam."

His nose scrunches up before he starts talking, "Never made much sense to me. He leaves her for her cousin after some bear attack. I always thought it was pity on his end, ya know? Because whenever Leah was close by that boy would pay Emily no mind. I'm glad it all worked itself out in the end."

I murmur my agreement before turning into the Clearwaters' driveway. I get out and make my way to the bed of the truck to get the cooler with the desserts I baked. I make a move to grab it when a pair of hands snatches it up.

I huff out, "I had it, Seth."

He rolls his eyes. "I know. You totally did, but we all wanted to make sure it made it inside safely."

I narrow my eyes at him when my Dad slaps a hand on Seth's shoulder and says, "Seth, my boy, don't you think my Bells deserves some love in her life?"

I swear it's like the night falls silent and all I hear is my heart beating in my chest. Seth's gaze darkens before he answers tersely, "Yeah. Yeah, she does."

My dad is indifferent to how tense Seth has become and continues babbling, "See, Bella? I mean, I know it's been a few years since Eduardo left, but you're young, beautiful and I don't want you to miss out."

Oh my god, can he just shut up? I mean, I've tried. Hell, I went out with my bio lab partner last week and it was a disaster. He was perfectly nice, but he wasn't Seth. No one is Seth and Seth's just not for me. The sooner I come to grips with that, the sooner I can move on with my life and maybe finally get laid.

Seth speaks quietly, "We should all go in. It's getting chilly."

It sure as hell is and it has nothing to do with the temperature. I follow behind him as we make our way inside. Leah jumps off of Sam's lap to come say hello, but has questions in her eyes when she sees the look on Seth's face.

I shrug because I really have nothing to say. Who pissed in his Cheerios anyway? Is it so hard to imagine that someone other than a dead 100 something year old virgin would want me? The more I dwell on it, the pissier I get.

The night goes on and I somehow manage not to let whatever that was earlier ruin my night. As the clock strikes midnight, I hug my dad and wish him a Merry Christmas. I make my way through the crowd, laughing when Jared swings me around. I sort of scowl when Quil's hand somehow finds my ass cheek when we hug. I roll my eyes at Paul's sexually charged version of wishing me a happy holiday. I make my way through and find myself in front of Seth, but he just looks at me oddly. Instead of the anger that was in his eyes earlier there's something else now.

His voice is soft. "Merry Christmas, Bella."

I am about to reply when Sam begins yelling over everyone to get our attention. The words die in my throat as we all look at the happy couple. Sam smiles so brightly, he might just outshine the lights on the tree.

He clears his throat. "Um, well, we just wanted to let everyone know..."

Leah cuts him off and yells, "I'm pregnant!'

The room erupts in cheers and well wishes and somehow by the time I'm done congratulating them Seth's gone. I bite my lip, unsure of what to do when Jake shoves me gently towards the front door, my coat in his hand. I smile gratefully. I zip up my coat and head outside. I look around and still don't see Seth.

A slight noise comes from my left and I see him sitting in the porch swing. I make my way over to him, but I'm not even sure he knows I'm there until he speaks. "I wish my dad was here for this, ya know? It was such a freaking mess when he died. Sam was with Emily. We phased, and then he was gone. It was all so fast."

I stand in front of him. I speak quietly, "I know."

He sighs. "He didn't get to see how happy Leah is now, how she and Sam got back together and now she's pregnant. He never got to see his first grandchild or the ones that will follow. He won't be the one to walk her down the aisle when Sam finally gets her to agree to marry him. He ... he just won't ..."

He jumps up, startling me as he walks over to the railing to make his way over to the garage. I follow, and when he whirls around there's anger in his eyes again. "He isn't here to give me advice on girls, dating – hell, on sex." His gaze softens. "He's not here to tell me what to do when it comes to trying to get the girl of my dreams to freaking notice you."

He makes his way over to me. There's so much intensity in his eyes. "What was Charlie talking about earlier when you guys got here?"

I swallow. It seems to echo in the space. "Um, I had just finished telling him how I was happy that Leah and Sam got their happily ever after."

He nods slowly like he's trying to work out something in his head. "What about yours?"

I shake my head. "I...I don't know. Maybe I'm not meant to have one."

He rolls his eyes. Then he looks up and a huge Seth-smile blooms on his face. He looks back down at me. "Look up."

I can't think when he's this close to me. And he's getting even closer as I find myself plastered against the fridge they keep in here for extra storage. "Huh?"

His smile turns into something else. There's a sense of something else in his eyes now. "Look. Up."

I do as he says and find mistletoe hanging above us. I look back at him. There's a predatory look in his eyes now. I gulp - actually gulp. He presses his body against mine I don't know where he ends and I begin.

He asks, "Why do you think that?"

My head's swimming. This is too much. I don't know what he's playing at, but I now have enough stroke-the-kitty material to last me until God knows when. I mumble, "Think about what?"

He smiles at me, but it's not my usual Seth-smile. This one makes my insides tighten. He asks again in a sultry (Seth has a sultry voice?) voice, "Why don't you think you're meant to have a happy ending?"

I'm trying to think, but the heat from his body pressing me against the cool plastic of the fridge along with the how fucking yummy he smells is making me lightheaded. I stutter, actually stutter, "Uh…I...well...um..."

He shakes his head and puts his hands on my waist. "Let's try to rectify that."

Then his mouth is on mine. And I'm not talking a chaste kiss between great friends. No, I'm talking about the kind of kiss that makes my toes curl in my flats and has me practically climbing up his body to get even closer to him. His tongue sweeps along my bottom lip and my mouth happily opens to his. Then it's our tongues mashing and stroking and it's oh so good that I feel myself start to get wet.

His hands tighten around my waist as he starts to slowly press himself against me. HOLY FUCK! He's hard!

Maybe it hits him at the same time, but as soon I finish that thought he's halfway across the garage and breathing heavily. Oh, wait, that might be me.

We're just staring at one another, not saying a word. Finally, I feel my heart start to beat at a somewhat normal pace. I smooth out my clothing along with my hair. I turn around and open the fridge and grab another 12-pack to take inside. I make my way to leave the garage, but turn to face Seth once more.

I speak softly knowing he will hear me regardless, "Seth?" He just nods, not looking at me. I simply say, "Merry Christmas."

Then he looks at me and just smiles, _my smile_, before wishing me the same.

_~ ~ ~ Last Christmas ~ ~ ~_

I sneeze as I clomp down the stairs. I breathe – well, try to - and wipe my eyes. I quickly wipe my nose before opening the door thinking it's my Chinese food. It's not. It's a smiling Seth. I start to smile back when I realize what I have on. Bleach-stained sweats a size or two too big and some ratty t-shirt that once upon a time was my dad's. My hair is thrown up in a haphazard bun/ponytail type thing and I'm pretty sure I smell like stale sweat since I haven't showered since my fever broke.

I attempt to shut the door in his face, but hey, he's a wolf and I'm a measly human. I have my back against the door and try with all my might as I whine, "Come on, Seth. I'm sick, and nasty and gross. Go away!"

His laughter just makes me even grumpier. I throw open the door and he stumbles into the house. I walk away and hear him scamper behind me. All of a sudden his hand is on my wrist and I freeze. God, we're such a mess.

I swallow. It sounds like it could be heard throughout the entire house. I don't dare breathe. I don't know how long we stand there, but I finally break the silence. "I'm going to take a shower. The Chinese delivery guy should be here soon. There's a twenty on the foyer table."

He lets go of my hand and I make my way upstairs. I go into my room and grab my robe and some stuff to change into. As I grab a pair of semi-sexy lacey boy shorts I assure myself it has nothing to do with the boy, ugh, man downstairs. I tell myself they're Christmas-y because they're red. I purposely grab a plain grey cotton bra along with some form-fitting yoga pants (who cares if Angela says they make my ass look awesome) and a plain grey t-shirt (that might be a little tight in the chest, but whatever).

I go into the bathroom and cringe at my reflection. Really? He had to come here tonight and see me looking like a hot mess? I bang my head against the mirror as I wait for the water to heat up. I brush my teeth and get undressed. I get into the shower and wonder why the hell he's here instead of with his family and friends at the party.

After the spectacular kiss last year, I ran back to UDub like I had a vampire on my ass. I just didn't know what it meant and I didn't want to read too much into it because, well, I just couldn't deal with it. So, I punked out and ran back to the safety of my dorm room. I didn't make it back home until spring break and he didn't act any different until we all hit up some club in Port Angeles.

Seth got pissed about how some guy I knew from one of my classes a couple of semesters ago who was grinding on my ass. His words, not mine. I stomped off after being pretty embarrassed by the whole testosterone-filled stare-off. Of course Seth wins because he's 6'5" with biceps that were equal to Tom's waist, and the fact the pack immediately backed him up. I went outside to walk it off. He followed. We argued and then made out like we lost our minds for twenty minutes until Leah (God, Leah? Really?) came out. Awkwardness followed on all our parts.

I attempted to ignore him and the rest of the pack for the remainder of the week, but it was quite impossible because Sam came and got me (No, he really did - threw me over his shoulder and everything) because Leah wanted me in La Push. Apparently you don't say no to a pregnant she-wolf. Ever. She tried talking to me about it, but I really didn't have much to say. I went the Jamie Foxx route and blamed it on the alcohol. She let it go.

After that incident, when I would come home Seth and I fell back into our easy friendship from before. When Jake started dating Angela this past summer we all hung out. We fooled around a bit, but we never put a label on it. I knew the pack knew that we messed around, but no one ever said anything and for that I was grateful. Jake actually asked me about it and I was completely honest because he swore on everything holy and his mom's grave that he wouldn't let it slip. I admitted that I was irrevocably and utterly in love with Seth Clearwater.

So me being me, I kind of freaked out at that little insight because I really wasn't aware- I swear, I wasn't. I simply chalked up my feelings to lust (intense, really, really intense lust) and when I said those words to Jake I knew they were true. Seth was my other best friend. He's who I call when I get a bad grade or do awesome in one of my classes. It's him, followed by Jake. So when I went back to UDub to start my senior year in August, it was with a heavy heart. I didn't tell Seth how I felt. It wouldn't be fair. He's still young and didn't need the extra burden of my feelings added to his tribal and familial responsibilities. Plus, baby Harriet Uley had been born in July and I didn't want to detract from that. So yeah, in August I left.

In October I found out from Leah that he had started dating some girl in one of his classes back in September. When I came home for Thanksgiving I visited Leah, Sam and Harriet and met Seth's girlfriend. I swore I turned green, but I kept it all inside and somehow managed to be polite. I even laughed with her, while refraining from clawing her eyes out as she rested her hand on his thigh. When I left to go back home he tried apologizing, explaining, but I told him it wasn't necessary. We weren't exclusive, hell we weren't even defined. He looked upset, but let me go. Now? Now, he's downstairs and I'm about to freeze because the water's run cold.

I quickly towel myself off and get dressed. I hastily braid my wet hair and take another dose of cold meds before making my way downstairs. I smile when I see he's set the table and has dinner served. I notice the extra food. I look at him and he smiles sheepishly.

He grins at me. "I might have snuck out some food while mom was cooing at lil' Harry."

I laugh and it feels good. No more tension. We sit down and eat and talk and everything is normal. We clean up and decide to watch whatever Christmas movie is on TV. Thankfully it's _A_ _Charlie Brown Christmas,_ which is followed by some other classic holiday movies. I find my eyes getting heavy and before I know what's happening, I'm in a wolf's arms.

I cuddle closer to his warmth. Once he kneels down to put me in my bed, I no longer feel sleepy. We just stare at one another until he breaks his gaze to turn away. I try not to be hurt, remembering he has a girlfriend. Wait, then why was he here with me?

He digs into his pocket and pulls out a plastic sprig of mistletoe and holds it over our heads. Before I can ask, he speaks. "I broke up with Kim. She was fun, but..."

I let out the breath I had been holding. "But?"

He smiles, "But she's not you. Fuck, no one is."

I ask, "Shouldn't you be home with your family? It's lil' Harry's first Christmas."

He scoffs, "The kid is a few months old. She has no idea what's going on. Plus, she's sleeping." His eyes look up towards what he has hanging over our heads before meeting my eyes again. "And I didn't want to break tradition."

When he's speaking he's staring more at my mouth than into my eyes. I lick my lips and his eyes meet mine. "Uh, tradition is important."

We stay quiet until I can't take it anymore. "God, Seth, just ki..."

Then his mouth is on mine. Not our usual frantic kisses, but soft. Sweet. His mouth moves gently against mine and as I sigh his tongue enters my mouth and I'm pulling his body onto mine. His body covers mine entirely and I welcome the weight and warmth of him. His one hand pulls my braid free and he grounds down against me when I bite his bottom lip. He starts grinding harder against me and I gasp.

He freezes. We've never done anything like this. I mean, yeah, we've made out but that's it. We've never got around to any bases. We've never really left home plate. He swallows and as I watch his sexy Adam's up move up and down, I realize that we've been idiots. I lean forward and trace my tongue along it, making him moan and press against me again. God, he's huge.

I rest my head against my pillow and as he looks at me I start to shimmy my shirt up to pull it off. He just stares at my chest like he's won the lotto or something. Finally, he looks back up at me and whispers, "God, you're so freaking beautiful."

I'm pretty sure my chest and face match my undies at this point. Then all thoughts fly out of my mind as he uses his teeth (yes, his teeth) to lower the straps off my shoulders before he starts to kiss the top of my breasts. I think I'm about to die when my sneaky wolf somehow has unsnapped my bra and pulls it off of me.

I quirk an eyebrow at him and he winks at me. "Pack mind."

I nod, "Should I send out thank you cards?"

He gets this look on his face. "For that? No, but you might after."

I start to laugh, but it turns into a moan as his tongue finds one of my nipples. His tongue twirls around the hardened peak as his hand sneaks under my yoga pants. I groan out his name when his fingers slide under my boy shorts. He rewards me by biting down on my nipple, making my insides clench around him.

He pulls away from my breast, breathing heavily. "Fuck, if that isn't the sexiest thing ever. I can feel how tight you are around my fingers. I wanna be inside you so bad."

His mouth finds mine once more and his thumb is now pressing down on my clit as his other fingers work inside me. I am trembling underneath him when I break my mouth away from his and cum. His name explodes from my throat, "SETH!"

I'm clutching at his arms, digging my nails into his skin. As I come down from my nirvana my eyes find his. They're so dark they look black.

His voice is low. "I was wrong. That was hotter. Fuck, how are you going to feel around my dick?"

Okay, dirty-talking Seth is beyond hot. I'm going to bake Paul, and probably Jared, a huge batch of brownies. Most likely a few dozen. He slides his fingers out of me and licks them clean. He stands up and I swear I pout. I must too because he just laughs as he pulls his shirt off. He drops it to the floor and then his hands freeze at the button of his jeans.

A look of uncertainty crosses his beautiful features. "Are you sure about this? Fuck, you're sick. I'm..."

I sit up and shimmy out of my bottoms. His mouth falls open at the red on my lower half. I lick my lips and spread my legs in invitation. I tell him softly, "I'm ready. I'm more than ready."

He growls low in his throat and I feel it in my lady bits. His eyes close as his hands clench into fists by his side. He licks his lips before opening his eyes to stare at me. "I have to taste you."

My mouth falls open. What does one say to that? I go with, "Um, thank you?"

He laughs and the seriousness of the situation disappears. He stalks towards me, the wolf in control of his actions now. I can feel it flowing between us. I'm his prey for the night and totally (like beyond giddy) okay with it.

His hands find his button once more and as he stops to the edge of my bed, he lowers his zipper and lets his jeans fall to the floor. His erection (penis? hard on? is there really any cool or okay term for his schlong?) bobbles free and I can't help let a giggle escape.

He raises an eyebrow at me. I bite my lip, but another giggle escapes. I let out a laugh and point at his, uh, penis and manage to get out, "It bobbles. Like those figurines my dad gets at the Mariners game."

He smiles at me and drops to his knees. He yanks my body closer to the edge of the bed and pulls off my last remaining article of clothing from my body. He flings them somewhere and lowers his mouth to my most private of places. The terrain unexplored by anyone else. Okay, I really need to stop thinking now.

He blows a soft breath onto my lady bits and my body shivers with want - with the utmost need. He winks at me before putting his mouth back on my lady bits. Oh. My. God. I have no words. Okay, I'm a liar because it seems my vocabulary is limited to "oh", "yes", "god" and "Seth". If he keeps this up, I'll be fine with those four words for the rest of my life.

After he gives me my release, he stands up and lays his body on top of mine. I can do no more than lay there because I can't feel my toes. Or my lips. Or anything. Oh, wait. Now I can and open my mouth to welcome his tongue. I manage to wrap my legs around his waist and he shifts up on the bed. His erection is touching me on my stomach, trapped and totally not where I want it. I start to trail kisses along his jaw to his earlobe as his hands cup my ass. He shifts his body once more, grabbing his heavy length (too many fan fiction stories man) and rubs it along my wet slit, teasing my clit and jump starting my battery.

I bite his earlobe and whisper into his ear, "Please, make me yours."

That's all it takes. He slides deep inside me and for a brief moment (okay, for a long ass moment), it is not sexy or hot or fun. It's painful and he's huge and my vagina is pissed. Hell, she wants to go on strike. I hiss (scream) a curse (or two or five) between my teeth as his body stills.

He's pressing kisses to my face and throat as he apologizes. "I'm so sorry, baby. God, I'll stop. Sure, my balls might explode, but I'll stop. Just don't hate me."

It makes me laugh which is what he's going for. Laughing makes my body move and it's not hurting anymore as my body starts to respond to his. My vagina is willing to put in the work now. He senses my mood and slowly pulls back and pushes himself forward. My eyes roll to the back of my head. Actually, they might have fallen out.

All I can say is, "Again."

Looks like I've expanded my vocabulary. Soon enough we find a rhythm that works for us and it's all grunts, curses, moans and cries of pleasure as we both fall over the edge. His body slumps down onto mine. He carefully rests his weight on his elbows, sort of cocooning me. I'm once again sweaty, but this time I'm loving it.

He raises his head to bring his lips down on mine. Our kiss is lazy and simply perfect. When he pulls back, he has tears in his eyes making me nervous.

Then he speaks, "I love you."

He proceeds to show me how much for the rest of the night. God bless wolf stamina and recovery time. In the morning I wake up to an empty bed, but there's a note on the pillow he had been using.

_Bells,_

_I had to go home even though once I looked down at your naked body I really didn't want to. But my mom and Leah sent me threatening text messages, and since you seem really, really fond of Mr. Bobble I figured I had to. Come over for lunch and presents._

_Love,_

_Seth_

I go over for lunch like he asked, right after I dropped off the three dozen brownies at Paul and Jared's places.

_~ ~ ~ Christmas - Present Day ~ ~ ~_

I'm jumpy. I can't help it. It's almost ten and she'll be here any minute. I growl when someone puts their hand on my shoulder. My sister smacks me upside the head.

She smiles at me. "Calm down. You're wearing down a path in the new carpet."

I gulp, "I can't. I mean, too many things..."

She cuts me off as she wraps her arms around me. Motherhood has chilled Leah out. I mean she still scares the ever-living fuck out of us, but still. "It will be okay, Seth."

I manage to swallow the lump in my throat. My cell buzzes in my pocket and I immediately pull it out.

_She crossed into the rez_

I just stand there while everyone's looking at me. My mom smacks me with a wooden spoon. I glare at her. "Ouch."

She rolls her eyes. "We don't have time for you to go all dumb on us now." She turns to everyone. "Okay, you all know what to do. Get into position."

I glance at Sam as he carries a giggling Harriet in his arms. I walk over to him, not caring that most will hear me. "How did you know? How did you know when it was time?"

He smiles while looking at my sister. "I needed that last detail to make everything fall into place. We needed that."

I nod and can't help the smile that blooms on my face when I hear her truck grumble its way onto my block. I reach into my pocket and wait. Soon enough I hear my Bells laughing with her dad and when she knocks on the door my mom yells that it's open.

Bella throws open the door, bags in hand, exclaiming, "Why's it so dark? And qui..."

The bags fall beside her. She's gaping at the scene in front of her. There are only the Christmas lights on. In the tree. Around the mantle and decorating the windows. The room is lit in a soft, colorful glow. And everyone is standing with mistletoe in their hands. It's all over the ceiling.

I walk over to her, holding a piece in my hands over my head. When I reach her I make sure it's over both our heads. Her eyes look up and she gasps when she sees what's at the end of it.

Her voice quivers, "Seth?"

I cup her cheek with my free hand and kiss her lips softly before letting her go to go down on one bended knee. I swallow and speak from my heart.

"Sam said that he and Leah needed to get married and it makes sense when you see how much they love each other and how happy they are. I saw you come in and realized I need you like that too. I need for you to have my name. I need you to be mine in every way that counts. I need to watch you make your way down the aisle to me. I need to watch you fall asleep every night in our bed with my arms around you. I need to see you grow swollen with our pups. I need you in every way imaginable."

Her voice cracks, "Oh, Seth... God, Seth..."

I press a kiss to her hand. I untie the ring from the ribbon on the mistletoe and slide it onto her finger. I look at up at her. "I need you to be my wife, Bella. Will you marry me?"

She's blubbering and nodding and falls to her knees as she throws her arms around me, peppering my face with kisses.

Then I hear what I needed to hear, "Yes."

It's on a breathy sigh and absolutely perfect. Then Harriet walks over to us and pats Bella's cheek. "No cry."

We all laugh and I stand up, spinning my bride-to-be in my arms. We laugh, dance and have a good time. When midnight approaches, my fiancé (I really like that word) pulls me under one of the many mistletoes. I look at her.

She smiles as she pulls my face down to hers. She says, "Can't mess with tradition."

No, you really can't.

_**Thanks to the gals over at Tricky Raven. Tradition won 3rd place for their holiday contest. Join if you get a chnace because some of the entries were amazing. Happy Holidays.**_


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